Tom Johnson (1939) is an American composer and former student of Morton Feldman. Regarded as a minimalist composer, in fact, he was the first to apply this term to music in his article “The Slow-Motion Minimal Approach”, written in The Village Voice in 1972. His minimalism is of a formalist type, depending mostly on logical sequences, as in the 21 Rational Melodies (1982), where he explores procedures such as accumulation, counting, and isorhythm. Some have even said that he is the inventor of logical music.
But these mathematical foundations are not the only aspect of the work of Tom Johnson. His approach is multi-disciplinary, and his obsession with integrating text and visual images can produce a theatrical atmosphere close to performance art.

532 pages, Bi-Lingual English/German

Contents:

Foreword by the Editors

Interview

“I’m a rationalist.” Conversation with Libby Van Cleve
„Ich bin Rationalist“. Gespräch mit Libby Van Cleve

Writing Music/Musik schreiben

Puzzle Pages
Between Silence and Stillness. Silent music
Zwischen Stille und Bewegungslosigkeit. Stille Musik
Pirandello’s Vision. Opera Since 1972: A Personal Report
Pirandellos Vision. Oper seit 1972: ein persönlicher Bericht
“I want to find the music, not to compose it”
„Ich möchte Musik finden, nicht komponieren“
Autobiography – Truth – Interpretation. Explaining my music: Keywords
Autobiographie – Wahrheit – Interpretation. Schlüsselbegriffe zur Erklärung meiner Musik
Microcosm and Macrocosm. On Form
Mikrokosmos und Makrokosmos. Über Form
All Is Number. Found Mathematical Objects
Alles ist Zahl. Mathematische Objets trouvés
Is This All Just Music? Music and Combinations
Geht es hier nur um Musik? Musik und Kombinationen
„I believe that …“ Music Metaphysics
„Ich glaube an …“ Metaphysik der Musik
Man and Machine. Twenty Years of Collaboration with Martin Riches
Mensch und Maschine. Zwanzig Jahre Zusammenarbeit mit Martin Riches
Self-Similar Structures in My Music. An Inventory
Selbstähnliche Strukturen in meiner Musik. Eine Bestandsaufnahme
Music that Has a Few Holes. Tiling in My Music
Musik mit ein paar Lücken. Parkettierung in meiner Musik
Kirkman’s Ladies and Other Games. Drawings, Mathematics and Music
Kirkmans Schulmädchen und andere Spiele. Zeichnungen, Mathematik und Musik

Writing about Music/Über Musik schreiben

New Concepts of Logic and Beauty. Modern Music: A Reconsideration
Neue Formen von Logik und Schönheit. Moderne Musik – eine Neubetrachtung
Writing Music and Writing about Music/Musik-Schreiben und Über-Musik-Schreiben
The Voice of New Music. Introduction to the Book
Steve Reich’s “Drumming”
The Minimal Slow-Motion Approach: Alvin Lucier and Others
Das minimale Zeitlupen-Konzept: Alvin Lucier und andere
Male Soprano with Wings
Männlicher Sopran mit Flügeln
David Tudor’s Homemade “Pulsers”
David Tudors selbstgebaute „Pulsers“
What Is Minimalism Really About
Um was geht es beim Minimalismus wirklich?
New Forms for New Music
Neue Formen für neue Musik
Rationality and Irrationality
Rationalität und Irrationalität
Music with no Boundaries. In Memoriam Morton Feldman
Musik ohne Grenzen. In Memoriam Morton Feldman
Trust Is the Key. Mon Maître, Morton Feldman
Vertrauen ist der Schlüssel. Mon Maître, Morton Feldman
Intentionality and Non-intentionality in the Performance of Music by John Cage
Absicht und Absichtslosigkeit in der Interpretation der Musik von John Cage
An Awful Large Family. In Memoriam John Cage
Eine riesengroße Familie. In Memoriam John Cage
“I would like to be like that”. In Memoriam Conlon Nancarrow
„So wäre ich gern“. Begegnung mit Conlon Nancarrow
The Breath of God. Hymns
Der Atem Gottes. Hymnen
Rugged Individual. Ives Reflections
Krasser Individualismus. Überlegungen zu Charles Ives
Music and Minimalism. A European View
Minimalismus in der Musik. Immer noch auf der Suche nach einer Definition
Five Categories. Minimal Music: Almost Forty Years Old and Growing
Trying to Find Our Own Music. Robert Ashley
Auf der Suche nach unserer eigenen Musik. Robert Ashley

Introductions/Werkkommentare

Spaces
An Hour for Piano
Lectures with Audience Participation
Sixty-note Fanfares for Four Antiphonal Trumpets
Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for Solo String Bass
Secret Songs
Nine Bells
Eight Patterns for Eight Instruments
Movements
Doublings for Double Bass
Symmetries
Counting Languages
Counting
Counting Duets
Counting Keys
Rational Melodies
Self Portrait
Voicings
Predictables
The Chord Catalogue
Infinite Melodies
Piano Problems
Pascal’s Triangle
Riemannoper
Music for Eighty-eight
Narayana’s Cows
Maximum Efficiency
Bonhoeffer Oratorium
Tortue de la mer
Septapede
Pascal’s Triangle Modulo Seven
Simultaneous Progressions
Recycled Ostinato
La vie est si courte
Loops for orchestra
Thirty-two Breaths
Organ and Silence
Kientzy Loops
Galileo
1 2 3
Organ and Silence for Piano
Tilework
Combinations for String Quartet
Same or Different
Kirkman’s Ladies
844 Chords
Block Design for Piano
360 Chords for Orchestra
Trio
Counting Fives
Fifty-five Chords
Networks
Vermont Rhythms
Mocking
Four-note Chords
Munich Rhythms
Waterfall in Fall
Falling Thirds with Drum
Tick Tock Rhythms
Counting to Seven
Intervals
Tinkelenberg Rhythms
Slight Variations
Five Notes for Five Instruments
Plucking
Seven Septets
Deep Rhythms

List of Works/Werkverzeichnis

Index